If you're dragging through the day, check out this blog before you have to get back to work! Play a game, watch a video, just mellow out for a few! Lostproductivity.blogspot.com -- good for morale, bad for production!

I thought Hedgehog Launch would be a sadder little knockoff of the cringe-inducing Kitten Cannon. However, it's a vibrant, fun experience where you'll eventually win. Yeah, no end bosses, no horrendous resource denial curve, no running out of bounces, no cheesy traps. It's such a friendly game a two-year-old could probably play it and get something out of it.

As you start out your space program for the underdeveloped Minovia Cay, you try to turn $50.00 into big moola by launching a Minovian hedgehog with a weak rubber band, weak launcher, no radar, no emergency rocket, no parachute -- heck, not even any goggles! The interface is shown as some legacy monochrome screen from the technological graveyard of the 1970s or 80s. From this upgrade menu, you can jump right into the action.

All you do is pull back the rubber band launcher you have, and try to keep your hedgehog in the air using the left and right arrow keys at first. Once you're out of fuel, the day ends and you get paid (wish it worked that way for me). If you've saved up some money for upgrades, eventually you can use the up and down keys for an emergency rocket (very handy when you're dragging on the ground) or a parachute (when you've shot way up and want to hover around for another platform that will take you even higher).

Excitement: 4 stars. A fun, engaging game that's more about the ride than getting there.

Originality: 4 stars. Takes the mechanics of Kitten Cannon and puts a fun upgrade system in with original power-ups. Shows you don't have to re-invent the wheel.

Graphics: 4 stars. Kind of minimalist, but the backgrounds and the upgrade interface are choice, and the ending could have been lame.

Controls: 5 stars. You start out weak purposely, but once you upgrade you're fine.

Sound: 5 stars. Great soundtrack once you launch in the sky and it's all you need besides some minimal sound effects. Smarmily nice end-of-round music and tally sounds too.

Replay value: 1 star. I put a hedgehog in space; I'm done. 3 stars for the more forgetful and easily amused.

Overall ranking:3.83 stars

My rating:5 stars This was a short, fun, intense game with nothing bad about it.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

When I started out as a Newgrounds user, I got bored with all the simple games fast. Back then, most of the games were based on the same model where you shot at things with a peashooter-type weapon and the enemies would disappear bad sci-fi movie-style.

Bounty Killers is a fun, chaotic and bloody free-for-all. Choose one of three characters and go to town, literally. It's you against waves of dozens of dozens of wee people each no bigger than a dime (maybe a quarter or tea saucer if you're rich). But in numbers they're enough to give your character a run for the money and you'll get enough power-ups eventually to have a real blast, with weapons from pistols to Molotov cocktails, dynamite and gunpowder barrels. Don't expect too much variation in weapon strategies, but do check it out. A single explosion leaves a stress-busting gory mess of screaming vigilantes on-screen. And don't forget to grab their ammo too. :DRankings:

Excitement:4 stars. Hectic fun though once I got all the weapons it was really enough.

Originality:4 stars. Reminds me a little bit of Boxhead.

Graphics:5 stars. Super-detailed 2-D characters, good movement handling. Bullets look a little 1980 Contra-style and the explosions are a little like scorching hot cotton candy but it all ties well into a common theme.

Controls: 5 stars. Flexible, mouse or keyboard. The weapon scrolling with the mouse wheel works great if you absolutely have to answer that phone and keep firing.

Sound:4 stars. I've been kind of spoiled by Manhunt 2's bad@ss weapon reloading and firing, but this game holds its own.

Monday, June 23, 2008

If you think you've tapped out the supply of defense games, guess again. Newgrounds keeps showcasing the best out there and Besieged is one of the recent smash hits!

Besieged has a lot in common with almost every defense game you've ever played. However, it has some features that make it stand out from the crowd. While your units level up like most others do these days, you also have a money-producing castle. Keep it in good shape, because if it gets dinged you make less money, sometimes a lot less, which turns into a vicious circle when you need money to defend it. Also, your support structures are purchased with a second currency, labeled with a green hammer.

There are some unit types I like too. The training camp unit dishes out experience to every other unit out there. Mines generate money (AU) every few seconds, and farms repair your castle and level it up.

Last of all is a neat reward system. Meet 39 different criteria through the course of the game and you get rewards you can use in future levels. Beginning awards are pretty small in effect, but they add up (range, resources, starting AU and more) to make the game more winnable.

Besieged is a well thought-out game with smooth, easy-to-read graphics, good music, and bit of spice to the gameplay. If you like upgrading things ad nauseam, this game is for you.

Check out the game here. Feel free to respond with some of your winning strategies! :D

Sunday, June 22, 2008

It's been a long time since Lost Productivity has been updated. However once again I'll be your host in the world of wonking, the desmene of do-nothing, the sultanate of slack. Once again I'll be working hard (not really) to find you the best videos, games, and just plain strange diversions I've found on the Net.

One of the great things about doing this blog is that I've learned a lot from the folks at Problogger (bought their book actually) so I hope to put a much better blog in place.